Deep earthquake in Pakistan

A powerful earthquake rocked southwest Pakistan on Wednesday, sending panicked people rushing from their homes in fear of their lives and being felt as far away as India and the Gulf.

The 7.2 magnitude quake struck at 1:23 am (2023 GMT Tuesday), around 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the town of Dalbandin, close to the border with Afghanistan, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

Television footage showed terrified people fleeing their houses in cold conditions, reciting verses from the Koran.

Rescue services said that they were on alert after the quake in the sparsely populated area but had received no emergency calls and there were no initial reports of casualties.

Strong tremors were felt as far away as the Indian capital New Delhi, around 1,300 kilometres (850 miles) away, as well as several other cities across northwestern India, though there were no reports of any damage.

Data on the USGS website suggested the quake had also been felt across in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The USGS said the quake had a magnitude of 7.2 and hit at a depth of 84 kilometres, revising down an earlier report of 7.4-magnitude.

The initial bulletin from USGS said the earthquake hit just 10 kilometres below the surface. At that depth, quakes can cause major destruction and loss of life.

Pakistan’s Meteorological Department gave a magnitude of 7.3 and located the epicentre 55 kilometres northwest of Kharan, a town in the thinly populated southwestern Baluchistan province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.